Hatten column: SCSU’s Dowd prepares for change, play in L.A. system

St. Cloud State's Nic Dowd passes the puck against Bemidji State during the first period of the Oct. 2013, game at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
(Photo:
Jason Wachter, jwachter@stcloudtimes.com
)

There’s been a bit of a mini pro hockey camp going on this week at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

Former St. Cloud State players Nic Dowd, Ben Hanowski, Ryan Faragher, Joey Holka and Kevin Gravel have been working out and skating together.

Each one is headed to a pro hockey camp somewhere. For Dowd, it is a strange feeling being back in the arena that he played and practiced in for four years.

“It’s definitely nostalgic,” said Dowd, who finished his eligibility in March. “Everything has its trigger: certain smells, it’s the same walk to the locker room and just about everything is the same as the last four years.

“It is strange not going to class. It’s different that all my buddies are back in school. Personally, I feel quite a bit of separation from something that’s been so close to me. You’re always welcome back, but it’s different. It’s time to move on and all five of us are trying to make the same step.”

Dowd signed with the L.A. Kings and finished last season with the Manchester (N.H.) Monarchs, the Kings’ top minor league team, in the American Hockey League. One of three finalists for last season’s Hobey Baker Award, Dowd had three assists in seven regular-season games and had a goal in four playoff games.

Dowd said the pace of the games was about the same, but dealing with the strength and size of the defensemen was an adjustment. He said that an area he has worked on this summer is with his skating starts.

“I’ve worked on my first three steps, which I’ve been working on my entire career, and always working on getting stronger and faster every summer” said Dowd, who was listed at 6-foot-2 and 196 pounds last season. “I’m looking at how I can keep on body weight because 82 games is a long season. Maintaining my weight might be a challenge.”

Dowd, who turned 24 in May, played in 119 straight games to finish his college career, so he’s been durable. He’s playing this season on a one-year deal, so that’s another transition for the center/wing.

“In school, you’re all playing for the C, S, T and it’s a bit more of a family oriented game,” Dowd said, referencing St. Cloud State’s logo. “We were an extremely close team.

“In pro hockey, it’s a job. My brother put it to me that you don’t go home from work every day and hang out with your co-workers all the time ... Everyone treats each other with respect, but there are always guys ahead of you and guys behind you looking to take your job.

“It’s a dog-eat-dog world and you’re always wanting to climb the ladder. It’s quite different.”

That’s part of why he has spent the summer with some old friends going through the same thing. Dowd, Hanowski and former Huskies defensemen Nick Jensen and Gravel have been working out and skating this summer at 1st Athlete Training Center in Edina.

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